Angel & Echoes

These two timely one acts tell stories of women devastated by war who find ways to triumph on their own terms. Part of 59E59's annual Brits Off Broadway festival. More…

In 'Angel,' Rehana is a young law student who joins the resistance when the town of Kobani is besieged, and quickly discovers that she had a talent for killing. This solo play is inspired by the real-life "Angel of Kobani," a female sniper who held ISIS in check for over a year in war-torn Syria.

'Echoes,' which played at 2016's Brits Off Broadway festival with a different cast, tells the parallel stories of two women born 175 years apart. One is a student Jihadist from England. The other is a Victorian member of the Fishing Fleet, women who traveled to East Asia to wed the men setting up the Empire. Both are idealists: intelligent adventurers, with strong religious beliefs. And both travel to foreign lands with a mission to impose a system of government upon an unwilling people.

"Well presented and wrenchingly played...Rape, torture, savagery which Rehana both sees and experiences provide the substance for one of the most brilliant and harrowing performances this reviewer has ever witnessed. Avital Lvova is magnificent. In fact, this production has exhausted my vocabulary of superlatives. Excellent direction is provided by Emma Butler for 'Echoes,' while Michael Cabot’s altogether outstanding as the director of 'Angel.'"
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“Performers Serena Manteghi and Rachel Smyth leave it all on the stage…Emma Butler directed a breathtaking short play that could only be topped by its immediate follow-up, a one-woman-show called ‘Angel’…This show provides heart-thumping moments mixed with an emotional roller coaster…With the direction from Michael Cabot, Lvova delivers a tour de force that the audience will not soon forget…I can’t think of a more important production to watch.”
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"'Echoes' is an unforgettable theatrical experience...Avital Lvova's solo performance as Angel is stunning. She plays the challenging role with remarkable energy and passion...'Angel' & 'Echoes' are two plays that are well paired to portray the devastating effects of war and tyranny. This meaningful production will open up essential conversations. Metropolitan area audiences should plan to make it part of their spring theater schedule."
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"Both 'Angel' and 'Echoes' are rich, captivating stories about themes in urgent need of attention. Naylor makes it easy to fall in love with Rehana, which makes her expected end a punch in the gut. This is true with Tillie and Samira in 'Echoes' as well. The simplicity of the production is perfect, as the complex characters come to life on stage without distraction. In both plays, the heroines’ voices are distinct, relatable, and unmistakably feminine."
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"Henry Naylor has written two works that are not only complex, but compelling...The performances of the three actresses are superlative. The depth of research which clearly went into the creation of each role is remarkable...Michael Cabot’s direction of 'Angel' and Emma Butler’s direction of 'Echoes' miss neither a beat nor a nuance. Reality is maintained without ever lapsing into melodrama or shock for the sake of shock."
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"The Brits Off Broadway season at 59E59 gets off to a gripping start with 'Angel & Echoes'...The stories in 'Angel & Echoes' are deeply necessary, providing us with powerful and revealing glimpses into the intractable religious and sexual prejudices behind the forces that have transformed these once-pristine landscapes into charnel houses. More than most plays in New York right now, 'Angel & Echoes' demands to be seen."
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"'Angel' and 'Echoes'…find a common ground in dramatizing the effect of the jihadist patriarchy on women…'Angel & Echoes' may not know as much about ISIS as President Trump (who does?) but it knows how to make vital theatre out of nothing more than a space, a well-written story about a provocative subject, and persuasive acting."
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"Drawing on the crises of the Middle East, London playwright Henry Naylor has produced two powerful, insightful plays about women who struggle to defeat the machismo that incites Islamic militants...Rehana is portrayed by Avital Lvova in a bravura solo performance in which she plays numerous roles...The direction by Cabot and Butler transports you, in these important plays, to the terrifying places the women inhabit."
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"'Angel:' On a stage bare of anything save a wooden barrel, Lvova’s solo performance brings Rehana and all of the secondary characters to vivid life under the steady hand of director Michael Cabot...'Echoes:' Both narratives alternate seamlessly to tell parallel stories of their gradual disillusionment and horror, caused by the men and the ideas they had hoped would save them...The nuanced performances of both actresses bridge all the gaps and make us care."
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"The importance of Mr. Naylor’s work is not in his complicated details but in the underbelly of the connection to 'the community of humanity'...Under the direction of Emma Butler and Michael Cabot, the three actors tell these stories with passion and considerable energy...The actors speak so rapidly, some of the important narrative is lost. Their stories, however, remain important and connect on deep levels to the current political struggles in the Middle East—and elsewhere."
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“Presented together on the same bill, ‘Angel & Echoes’ is part of the Brits Off Broadway Festival at 59E59 Theaters (where ‘Echoes’ originally played last year). As written by Naylor, enacted with ferocity and vitality by Avital Lvova, and directed with dispatch by Michael Cabot, ‘Angel’ proves the far more effective (second) half of the evening. That may be because it's told with an in-your-face immediacy and gumption that elude ‘Echoes,’ which juxtaposes the lives of two different women.”
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"'Echoes' remains just as much 'an extreme feminist and far left polemic' as it was in its original incarnation...'Angel' makes this dual entry of 'Angel & Echoes' in this year’s Brits Off Broadway production truly worth seeing...It is an empowering and exhilarating play that focuses on women’s strengths rather than their victimhood and it is Avital Lvova’s performance that makes it especially memorable."
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"Both plays are clear, angry, and unflinching about the plight of women and the roots of radicalization, but there is a deep sense of disquiet bubbling underneath them...It revolves around the problem of who gets to tell whose story...It is critical that artists interrogate their reasons...It seems clear that the almost all-white creative team has not done that essential work. The plays encourage an engaged cosmopolitanism, but flog that important message by profiting from the pain of others."
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"The tales of their adventures become almost surreal, cartoonishly over-the-top to the point where they feel more like Quentin Tarantino characters than flesh-and-blood women...Lvova brings a brightness and a strength that add emotional urgency to the piece...Smyth and Manteghi both give strong performances...Naylor’s writing has a lush, almost glossy texture that ultimately ends up coming far too close to fetishizing the heroines’ different acts of martyrdom."
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for a previous production
"Naylor is emerging as one of the great playwrights of our time, not only handling very difficult political and gender issues but doing so with a very lyrical and potent pen...It is a dynamic, action-packed narrative delivered in a powerful performance. Lvova is a wonder to behold. She has an exceptional ability to connect with the audience, a magical outreach which is quite compelling...A vivid, brilliant and important piece of theatre."
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for a previous production
"An absolute marvel to watch...Avital Lvova encounters—and superbly performs—a panoply of family, friends and odious foes along the way. It might be easy to get lost in the video game visuals of the action, except that Lvova emotionally brings you back to the visceral story—none of these characters leave this play alive...Naylor has written another exceptional play and tosses the distant war of the Middle East off the television right into our laps, still bleeding. Another Bravo!"
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for a previous production
“As compelling, action-packed and epic in its scope as any big-screen blockbuster, ‘Angel’ creates its world and sets pulses racing using nothing more than the power of a brilliantly constructed script and one truly dynamic performance…Balancing drama with humor, creating fully fleshed, powerful female characters and constructing dialogue with an eloquent, witty flow…Requiring an actor of incredible emotional range and physical endurance…Avital Lvova is that actor.”
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for a previous production
"Lvova is funny, feisty, quick-witted, scared and determined as she brings Rehana’s plight to stark reality. It’s a physical role which runs a gamut of emotions...Her compelling story shines a light on an area and a war that the western world can quite often forget, and Naylor’s vivid script has plenty of light and dark moments, including some poignant musical scenes. 'Angel' hits the mark and is a breathtaking, unforgettable piece of theatre."
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for a previous production
"Lvova is powerful as Rehana in a gruelling and physical role. Lvova stumbles over a few lines, and doesn’t quite nail the climax, but she storms around the stage with captivating intensity while effectively telling the tale and delivering occasional lines of humor...It is a brutal assessment of the lengths sometimes needed to combat evil, where even the most well-intentioned pacifist must abandon their humanity to fight and protect for what’s right. It’s powerful stuff."
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See it if
You want to see excellent acting and get drawn into some pretty compelling stories.

Don't see it if
I can’t image why anyone wouldn’t want to see this show.

Also
Wow. I mean it. Wow. From the moment it started, the actors grabbed our attention and transported us to other places and times. I saw what they saw, and felt what the felt. Drawing us in with a nice set and a stage full of characters is a very cool thing, but when there is no set - only 3 women, telling their tales, separately, and being able to draw us in like they did - it’s truly incredible. I was absolutely blown away tonight.

The show is in Theatre B at 59E59. They stagger the seats nicely here so everyone has a good view. I overheard a few people opting to move from the first row to sit further back. Bad move. Sit in the front so you can and take in as much as you can from this incredible show. With ample legroom, they truly are the best seats in the house.... Read moreRead less

See it if
You want to see great acting in a storytelling manner about women experience in the Middle East conflict.

Don't see it if
You are not interested in middle east conflict and not into just watching one or 2 actors without much props and just concentrating on them

Also
Very intense but quite absorbing great performances by these 3 women. Echoes -2 women and Angel -1 woman relating their experiences in war situations. Makes one appreciate the freedom and normalcy of life that we have albeit with our own normal problems. I must mention again how amazing the performances were of these actresses.... Read moreRead less

See it if
you have an interest in seeing an historical view of women being treated badly merely because men can do so; highly emotional and gripping

Don't see it if
you don't like being subjected to the horrors of women in war, seeing men mistreat and degrade women. You want a light, happy night out.

Also
This was one of the most emotionally charged pieces I have seen this year. Audience members were sometimes in tears. The horrors depicted were disturbing and frightening; the acting superb. If this is not too much for you to deal with, it should be seen.... Read moreRead less

See it if
you like stories of women coming into their own, or want to better understand what's happening in Syria (to locals & foreign women recruits)

Don't see it if
you don't like serious plays. You abhor described violence (nothing is shown, fyi).

Also
I really hope this show finds a wider audience. ANGEL alone is worth the ticket price.

First on ANGEL: Amazing writing & acting. The only person onstage (Avital Lvova) keeps us fully engaged the entire time whether the scene is funny (a dad singing Beyonce) or horrifying (war crimes).

She switches quickly, seamlessly, & clearly between multiple characters. It's a really demanding role w/no one to fall back on or support her, & she pulls it off brilliantly. Go see it!

Now on ECHOES: I saw it last year in its 1st run at 59e59. It was memorably moving & very well-done then, & this version (w/new actors & a new director) retains much of its original power, though it's shorter to fit into a show w/ANGEL.

What was trimmed were a few early scenes introducing the two characters & giving more context for why they made the decisions they did. Those extra few minutes helped me empathize more w/the characters & made the play as a whole stronger, but even w/o them ECHOES is still worth seeing.... Read moreRead less